Chapter Thirteen:

          Alec King couldn't believe his eyes. It couldn't be Olivia and Jasper walking up the red dirt road...but he looked again and there was no mistake. Jasper's long tan coat flapped behind him in the wind. Montgomery, dressed in a little gray jacket and knee breeches was holding his hand while three-year-old Alicia sat in the crook of his arm and held onto his shoulder. Hetty was walking companionably beside her sister, beaming with a radiance rarely seen in her face. Alec called to his wife in the kitchen and hurried to open the door. Hetty was the first to call out. "Alec! Look who's come back!"

          "Alec!" Olivia squealed and rushed up to embrace him.

          "Where the devil did you four come from?" Alec exclaimed in surprise. Just then Janet appeared on the porch and provided her own exclamations of joy and amazement. Through the whole display, the two children were eyeing their aunt and uncle suspiciously. There was no way that Alicia could remember them, but Janet thought that Montgomery might.

          "Hello, Monty," she greeted him, kneeling down to his level. "Do you remember your Auntie Janet?" He looked at her friendly face and decided that yes, there was something familiar about her.

          "Yes," he answered solemnly.

          "Are you sure, Monty?" Olivia asked in surprise. "You were only four years old when we moved to England."

          "Closer to five, Olivia," Jasper reminded her. "And our Monty's a smart l-l-l-lad." By this time, Cecily and Daniel had become aware of the excitement downstairs and joined the merry crowd. Alicia held out her arms for her mother and Olivia took her. Her eyes were still wide and wondering.

          "What a little angel she is, Olivia!" Janet gushed. She was right, though. Alicia did look like a little angel baby, with her long blond hair arranged neatly in curls and her soft rose-colored coat. Her eyes were blue and shining, but she didn't say a word.

          "Where are you staying?" Alec wanted to know. They still owned their house, but he was sure it was in no state to live in at the moment.

          "At the foundling home with Hetty. We're staying there until we can get the house fixed up," Olivia explained. She turned to Janet. "Have you heard from Sara lately?" she asked. Janet shook her head. "Well, she sent me a letter from Montreal and we received it right before we left. It seems that her husband, Jean Paul, has joined the French army. And," she began importantly, "Sara is going to have a baby in February."

          Janet clasped her hands together. "Oh...I don't know what to say! Sara ought to come back to Avonlea...with her husband away and no one but that fussy Louisa J. Banks for company."

          "Yes, I know. Hetty's planning to write to her and ask her to come home. I do hope Mr. Courtier will be here for the birth of his own child, though. I just can't imagine...it must be terrible for Sara."

          "It's indecent, that's what it is," declared Hetty. "Sara must come to Avonlea and that's all there is to it. I'll go down to Montreal and drag her back myself if I have to." They were all silent for a few moments.

          "I'll go inside and telephone Felicity and Gus," Janet offered.

          "Oh, yes, Janet," Olivia agreed. "I've been dying to meet those little girls." Janet smiled and went into the house. Within half an hour, Felicity and Gus were driving up the road. Felicity's hands were full as she balanced Elizabeth on her lap and tried to hold onto Emily who was sitting on the seat between them. Olivia was delighted with the two babies. Montgomery stood on his toes, trying to see and Daniel grinned at him.

          "Those are my nieces," he told his cousin. "I'm Uncle Daniel."

          Montgomery looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You're not even two years older than I am. That's funny that you're an uncle."

          Gus stopped the horses and slapped his knee as he greeted Olivia and Jasper. "Mr. and Mrs. Dale! How aire ya'?" he laughed. He hopped out of the buggy and turned to help his wife down. Olivia ran to his side and held out her arms for Elizabeth.

          "Here, Felicity, let me take her. I'm longing to hold a little baby in my arms again."

          "That there's 'lizabeth," Gus reminded her in case she had forgotten his daughters' names. "And this big girl here is Emmy," he added, lifting Emily out.

          "Hello, Aunt Olivia...Uncle Jasper." Felicity embraced her aunt and nodded, smiling to Jasper.

          "Felicity, your daughters are darling. Such pretty black hair..." Olivia stroked Elizabeth's little curls.

          "Montgomery is getting handsome, too," Felicity told her. "And Alicia is a beautiful little girl."

          "She doesn't really look like Lottie did," Olivia thought out loud. "Jasper just adores her. I've been a little worried, though," she murmured quietly to Janet. "She hardly says a word and she'll be four in February."

          "Oh, she'll be all right. I've heard of children who didn't speak until they were quite old and when they did, they spoke in complete sentences!" Janet laughed.

          As if to make things worse, Emily chose that moment to turn to her own mother and ask, "Is that Aunt Olivia, Mummy?"

          Olivia spun around and hissed to Janet, "See? Emily's not even two!" Felicity heard her and walked over to where they were standing.

          "All children are different. Emily is very advanced, that's all, " she explained. Janet hid a smile with her hand.

          After supper that evening, Olivia came up to Cecily's room where she saw her niece mournfully staring at a picture of the lost beau. She sat down on the bed and put her arm around the girl's shoulder. It really wasn't fair. Cecily had already had so many disappointments in her life and such discouraging setbacks. She covered the photograph with her hand and attempted a cheerful smile for her aunt's sake. "It's all right, dear." Olivia took her hand away from the face. "But you can't go on like this forever. You are very young and I know that a good, sweet girl like you still has plenty of love to give."

          Cecily shook her head. "I love him. I'll never love anyone else, I know."

          Olivia sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Yes, you will. You say that now, but time will pass and you will love again." She hugged her and then got up and hurried away. Cecily decided not to say anything else. It was pointless. She put the picture away and went downstairs.

          Gus was playing his fiddle while the children danced around the room. Hetty had gone back to the foundling home because she didn't wan't to leave Belle-Marie and Callie in charge for too long. Felicity sat next to Gus, with Elizabeth peacefully sleeping in her arms, despite the noise. Alec and Janet tapped their feet and little Alicia's eyes sparkled as much as always as she held her cousins' hands and bounced up and down. At that moment the telephone rang and Janet ran to answer it. "Now who would be calling at this hour?" she wondered. Once she got on the line, she motioned for them to be quiet. Gus stopped playing and everyone listened in silence. "Yes, I will...Hello? Roger!" Alec was about to get up, but she waved him off. Her face darkened. "When?...Oh, Roger, I'm so sorry...yes...I-...yes, I know. Did you want to talk to Alec?...all right." She held out the telephone to her husband. He listened quietly and slowly moved his hand over his face as he always did in these situations, as if it would erase what had happened. After about two minutes, he hung up.

         "Andrew was...killed. Roger just found out. It happened quickly, he's sure....nothing drawn out and torturous. He had just joined up three months ago." The merry atmosphere dropped like a stone. As usual, with any mention of the war in Europe, Janet's thoughts turned selfishly to her own son. Cecily, who was already thinking about the subject of casualties, burst into tears at this additional blow and Felicity could not stop thinking about all of the cruel jokes that she and Felix had made about Andrew's rock collection. Gus placed his fiddle and bow in the case and didn't say anything. He thought of saying something like "Well, I guess the party's over", but then he figured that it might be inappropriate.

          Janet leaned over and took Alec's hand. He had a faraway look, as if he were trying to find or remember something. "What are you thinking about?" she asked him.

          Alec closed his eyes briefly and tried to smile. "Well...I'm thinking about Andrew of course. I'll miss him. He was a good lad."

Chapter Fourteen:

          Andrew's death was a blow to the King family...to lose one of their own to the Great War brought the fear and suffering home, making everything more startlingly real. Hetty sent a letter to Sara, pleading for her to come back to Avonlea as soon as possible. She didn't care what Miss Banks said. She needed to be with her family at a time like this and it was even more imperative now that her husband was away. Sara was sitting at her desk looking through the mail when the return address caught her eye. She snatched the silver letter opener from her drawer and hurriedly slit the envelope, hoping that nothing had happened. She hadn't heard from Avonlea in awhile, even though she had often exchanged letters with Olivia in England. However, when she read the dramatic epistle, she couldn't help but smile.

          Louisa Banks walked unsteadily into the room. She was getting on in years, she knew it, and she wouldn't admit it. "Anything of interest in the post, dear?"

          "There's a letter from my aunt, Nanny."

          "Oh, that Olivia is such a sweet girl. She always has something nice to say about how lovely the old country is."

          "No, it's not from Aunt Olivia. It's from Aunt Hetty." Sara turned to see the reaction of her old Nanny. The lady's face changed entirely and she spoke with the properly civil tone that she reserved for conversation with or about the elder Miss King.

          "Oh...and how is that woman getting on?"

          "She wants me to come to Avonlea, Nanny. Soon, before...you know."

          "But Sara, dear, there are fine medical facilities here in Montreal which you won't find in a backwater like Avonlea. This is your home."

          Sara didn't have anything to say to that. She listened to the emptiness of the huge house echoing around her, stared out at the blank, emotionless city street, and turned around again to look at the aged woman standing there with a pleading expression. "Aunt Olivia is back...and Uncle Alec and Aunt Janet are there, of course. And Felicity and Cecily..." Sara trailed off. She was trying to explain somehow, to give an excuse for why she wanted to return to Prince Edward Island. Jean Paul was so far away and she needed people around her. Most of all, she needed him.

          Miss Banks shook her head. "Well, dear, it's your decision to make. Lord knows, I wouldn't try to pry into your affairs."

          "Perhaps you could come with me?"

          She considered this for a moment before shaking her head again, this time decidedly in the negative. "No, no. I've travelled enough in my time and I know I wouldn't be welcome in your aunt's home."

          Sara immediately felt guilty, as the old lady had known she would. She jumped up and exclaimed, "I'm sorry, Nanny! Well-how could I think of abandoning you?"

          For once, Louisa J. Banks would say the right thing. This was her opportunity and she could see what Sara wanted. Taking a deep breath, she assured the girl that she had been planning to stay with a niece who had recently moved to a house not five miles away. Sara's leaving would be the perfect reason for her to visit. The girl still looked concerned, but Miss Banks agreed that it was only right that she see her family in Avonlea again. It had been more than three years since she had returned for Felicity's wedding and, uncultured as her relatives were, they were kind and generous people...with the exception of Miss King. Louisa Banks kept those last few observations to herself, of course.

          Sara grinned and hugged her nanny cheerfully. "Thank-you. I knew you would understand."

          "You needn't be thanking me, Sara. It's your decision to make, as you are a grown woman now and an heiress, at that."

          "Well, thank-you just the same...for putting my mind at ease."

*             *             *            *

          It seemed as if trains were always coming and going now, whistling a warning as they chugged, black and steaming into the station. Avonlea was changing. There was something in the air, something intangible that was creeping into the town little by little and making it different. It had to do with the Red Cross meetings and benefit concerts, the smart young men in uniform, the fearsome newspaper headlines printed boldly in black ink, and the worried faces everywhere. It also had to do with the automobiles, the talk of airplanes and all kinds of wondrous inventions, the telephones ringing, ringing, ringing, and the new music that drifted out of brightly lit homes on Saturday nights. Yet, it was difficult to discern exactly what had changed. The same people lived there. The old farmers still planted their crops. Eulalie Bugle still chattered and fumed about the Yankees, only nowadays it was to abuse them for not entering the war and helping out.

           This was the Avonlea that Sara Stanley came home to on that autumn evening in 1915. Felicity and Gus were waiting for her, along with Aunt Hetty who was wearing a new hat and was very proud of it. Felicity giggled as she took her cousin's arm. "Sara, you're not so slender anymore, are you?" she exclaimed, teasingly. Gus simply looked on. Ever since Sara had become such a grand lady, he felt a little uncomfortable around her. The country farm people of Avonlea were high society in his eyes and a socialite like Sara was practically royalty.

           Soon, Sara had been installed at Lissie's Landing which was near enough to the foundling home for Hetty's convenience, but a bit more peaceful. As she sat on the porch looking out at the woodland beyond, her heart was filled with so much joy that it hurt. Here was the most beautiful place in the whole world, she thought to herself. She wanted her baby to know this land...this life that was so quickly fading away. She wanted her son to feel the sun on his face as he ran along the red rock shore collecting shells or her daughter to experience the free, wild feeling she did when she stared out at the sea with the wind whipping her blonde hair back from her face.

           That night she wrote a letter to Jean Paul pouring out all of her hopes for their future together. Her pen scratched out the words in crisp, black India ink.

                                   When you come back from the war, everything will be wonderful

                                   and fine again. Our lovely children will see the beauty of this earth,

                                   untarnished by the ugliness of men's battles and feuds. They will

                                   know of all different kinds of life - the farmer's home on Prince

                                   Edward Island, the city houses of Montreal, the grandeur of Europe.

                                   Together, we will educate them.

Felicity knocked lightly on the door as Sara sat reading her words and grasping for what to say next. "Come in!" she called. Her cousin walked in and sat down on the bed.

          "Where have you been all evening?"

          "Oh...writing." Sara indicated the unfinished letter.

          Felicity sighed tiredly, cupping her face in her hands. "I finally got the children to sleep. Usually Emily is no trouble at all, but she was being very contrary tonight...and Elizabeth will be up again during the night, of course." Sara had to laugh a little at her cousin's resigned pessimism. "It's not funny," Felicity returned crossly.

          "I know."

          "Really! It's a lot of work being a mother, but I suppose you'll find out soon enough."

          "Oh, it's probably easier if you don't worry about things too much." Sara grinned.

          "And what is that supposed to mean?"

          Sara decided that this wasn't the time to get into an argument with Felicity. "Ummm, nothing. I'm just rather tired right now and perhaps not thinking too clearly."

          Felicity shrugged and leaned back sleepily on the coverlet. "So am I. Gus has been no help at all lately. I know he's got to get the harvest in for the year, but really. We don't have a minute's peace together, either. I was so looking forward to your wedding..." She sighed disconsolately, as if life would never again be exciting to her. Sara turned her back on Felicity and studied the wall.

          "At least you have your husband."

          Felicity glanced up, feeling rather guilty, and put her hand on her cousin's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be complaining."

          "That's all right."

          "No it isn't. I'm sorry and I mean it. Um...I'll leave you alone now." She headed for the door and Sara turned around.

          "What time did you want to go over to King Farm tomorrow?" she asked casually.

          "About nine o'clock," came the casual answer.

Chapter Fifteen:

          The sound of scores of voices mingling and dull in the background could be heard, but nothing distinct. He wanted to open his eyes, but he was so tired...too exhausted to even will himself to wake up. Just a crack... his mind whispered and he could see a lamp burning steadily nearby. A figure moved toward him and lifted a cup of water to his lips. He drank gratefully and wished he could see who she was, this gentle girl who had come to him. He wanted to say something, wanted to ask where he was and how he had gotten here.

          Diana Blythe heard the matron calling her and hurried away to where she was needed. Her red hair was bundled up in back, but long pieces were straggling out after a long day's work at the hospital. Her feet made soft patting sounds as she half-ran across the room and down the corridor. He wished she would come back and stay long enough for him to talk to her. It had been so long since he had talked to a girl. An image came to his mind of a young lady with light brown hair and a pixie face. She laughed and waved her cap at him as she ran down a grassy hill, kicking up red dust in the path. Then he saw her at his side, the two of them walking hand in hand as a train whistle echoed in the distance. Well, that girl belonged to someone else now and could never be anything more than a friend.

           Later that evening, Diana and another nurse were making the final rounds before they could go home for the night. Diana was glad she didn't have a night shift this time and was looking forward to spending the rest of the evening gossiping and laughing with her roomate for a change. They had both been terribly busy lately, but that was to be expected. She stopped by the boy's bed and saw that his eyes opened slowly to look at her. He didn't look like a boy to her, as she was only seventeen and had seen many others younger than him in the same situation. He was a man, a sailor come from the war, and the lost, childish look on his face didn't seem to fit.

          "Where am I?" he asked in a hoarse voice. She came to his side and sat down for a moment.

          "The naval hospital in Charlottetown, P.E.I..." He had come in the night before and she didn't even know his name.

          "P.E.I.?" he asked, almost delightedly. "We're in Charlottetown?"

          "Yes. My name is Diana Blythe. They brought you in last night." He thought this over with his eyes closed and then he looked up at her again.

          "You wouldn't be related to the Blythe family of Avonlea, would you?"

          "Yes, Gilbert Blythe is my father! Who are you?" she asked bluntly, excited to find someone from the North shore.

          "Felix King...I...is my mother coming?"

           Di almost couldn't believe this. "Felix King? You're Alec and Janet King's son aren't you? I met your family last summer! Oh, they must be coming, they must know you're here." She noticed the other nurse watching them curiously from across the room. "Your mother and sisters were so kind. I wanted to know Cecily better, but...she was not really..."

          "Yes, my mother wrote me...about Mr. MacDonald." He closed his eyes again and Diana wet a cloth in the basin to wipe his face with.

          "Mr. King, I have to go now. I'll be back in the morning and you need to rest anyway." Felix nodded and she lingered just a minute to really look at him this time. He was quite handsome, with his waving dark hair. His eyes had been blue. She smiled as she walked out the door, certain that Janet King would be there tomorrow. Now, how old had she said he was? Oh, yes, twenty-one...just like her brother, Jem.

          The night was cold and dark, but Di practically skipped all the way home. Her companion gave her the oddest look, but didn't say anything. She had seen her talking to that boy they had just brought in and figured that something must have been going on.

          Diana returned to the hospital early in the morning, well before her shift was supposed to begin. Quickly, she rushed down the corridor toward the room where Felix King had been, glancing about now and then to see if any of his relatives had shown up. As she came to the door, she paused, realizing for the first time how very early it was. She turned the knob as quietly as she could and slid through, receiving a startled look from the night nurse who looked as if she had had just about enough of her duties. The girl got up and approached Diana. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.

          Di sneaked one look at Felix out of the corner of her eye before answering. "I know that man over there." She nodded her head in his direction. "Well, I mean, I know his family. They're from the Island."

          "Oh," the other nurse replied, but before she could say anything else, Diana had left her and was crossing the room. When she saw Felix, she felt something catch in her throat. He looked worse than he had the night before. His face was flushed darkly, but he was shivering slightly and his breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. Di spun around to see the girl coming up behind her.

          "Where's the doctor?" she asked quietly.

          "He was in here about an hour ago."

          "Pneumonia?"

          "Yes. They weren't-"

          "Good Lord, hasn't anyone notified his family?" Diana interrupted, dragging her away. Without waiting for an answer, she was out the door and rushing to the telephone in the foyer. She asked the operator for Avonlea and then the King Farm. The process took a few minutes, but soon she heard the phone ringing on the other end.

          Janet was preparing breakfast in the kitchen when she heard the telephone. "Alec! Cecily!" she called. "Will one of you please answer that? I'm working in here!"

         Cecily came running down the stairs and snatched the receiver off the hook, her hair still hanging down her back in a tousled braid. "Hello, this is Cecily King. Who's calling, please?"

          "Cecily!" Diana stopped and tried to make her voice more composed. "This is Diana Blythe. I-well, actually, may I speak to your mother or father?"

          "Miss Blythe! Why on earth are you calling at this hour?" she asked redundantly. "Yes, here's Father." She handed the phone to Alec who had come up behind her.

          "Mr. King?" Di began, "This is Diana, Gilbert and Anne Blythe's daughter. I'm at the naval hospital in Charlottetown and your son has been here since the night before last. I think-I think you should come."

          "Yes, of course," Alec replied shortly. "What's happened to him?"

          Di didn't mince words as she would have if she were speaking to Mrs. King. "He's very ill with pneumonia, worse than last night, and I don't know why you haven't been informed."

          "I'm not surprised about that part of it," Alec murmured cynically. "All right, Miss Blythe, we'll be there as quickly as we can. Good-bye." He hung up the phone. Janet was now standing in the doorway wringing her hands in her apron. The "what's happened to him" had brought her away from her work in a flash.

          "Alec, where will we be? Alec! Oh, God!" Alec hugged her.

          "Now don't lose your head, Janet. Please try to control yourself for once." Janet drew back angrily.

          "Stop acting like I'm a stupid little girl, Alec, and tell me what's going on!"

          "Felix is at the hospital in Charlottetown. Now, don't worry, I'm sure he'll be all right. Cecily, go wake Daniel up and we'll drop you off at Felicity and Gus' place on our way out." Cecily nodded and didn't ask any questions. Janet began cleaning up the kitchen distractedly and then went off to get her coat and hat. Alec started calling the others in the family to inform them of the situation.

          Back at the hospital, Diana sighed and placed the receiver back in the hook. She knew that she barely saw anything working in Charlottetown. Prince Edward Island wasn't a battlefield and it wasn't the bloody, wounded men who were brought to where she was. Then she thought of Mr. and Mrs. King rushing out to see their son for what might be the last time and she closed her eyes briefly. Where were her own brothers? Here there were men dying all the time, and yet the conditions were so much better than what Jem and Walter had to live with.

          She went back down the hall, through the door, and over to Felix. She pulled a chair up next to him and decided to sit there until she was on duty. "Mr. King?" she asked softly, but got no answer in return. She decided to talk anyway. "I just called your parents and they're coming right away." Felix murmured something that didn't make any sense to her and coughed briefly. She sighed again and stared out the window at the darkness giving was to gray dawn as the sun came up over the horizon.

Index